MMA's Chael Sonnen Faces 11 Counts of Battery After Las Vegas Brawl

Lara GwinnMarch 24, 2022

MMA legend Chael Sonnen faces 11 counts of battery after allegedly fighting with six people during a December 18 incident in Las Vegas. Chael allegedly strangled one man during the brawl, which will be classified as a felony.

Sonnen, 44, allegedly “punched the first man, punching and kicking a second man, punching a third man in the face, punching and kneeing a fourth man and striking a fifth man with his elbow,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by ESPN. He also allegedly, “used ‘force of violence upon’ a woman ‘by punching/striking’ and pushing her,” according to the court documents, ESPN reported.

Ex-UFC star Chael Sonnen facing 11 counts of battery in Las Vegas https://t.co/zkP3obXfMz pic.twitter.com/TB9AGMNg9r

— New York Post (@nypost) March 23, 2022

An original complaint was filed in January for 5 counts of battery against Sonnen, which were dismissed. However, a new complaint for the 11 counts was filed March 16 by the Clark County district attorney with the Las Vegas Justice Court. Sonnen is scheduled to appear in court April 27.

“Battery by strangulation in non-domestic situations is a Category C felony under Nevada law. The potential penalties include one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. It’s likely Sonnen will plead out the case,” Calfkicker.com reported.

Video from TMZ shows Sonnen being arrested by police:

Sonnen has not issued a statement, and reportedly declined an interview with ESPN, but a supporter of the fighter is speaking out with what he says is Sonnen’s account of the incident.

Former MMA fighter and current host of the Below the Belt podcast Brendan Shaub told his audience during a December 21 broadcast:

Here’s what happened. Chael was obviously working and he was with his wife and his wife is a f*cking saint and also a dime piece. And some drunk guy with his girl kept making comments about his wife, saying about her t**s, her a**, right in front of him. Well, play stupid games, win stupid prizes, cause you are talking and disrespecting one of the toughest guys on the planet and definitely one of the toughest ever to compete in the UFC or Bellator for that matter. And you’re doing it in front of his face, then there’s gonna be repercussions. Any guy that wouldn’t do that for their girl, ladies, you’ve got a girlfriend.

Shaub continued his defense of Sonnen, saying:

So I think by Chael doing this, it just adds to the legend of Chael Sonnen. … He was protecting his girl. And for that dumbass who got absolutely annihilated by the great Chael Sonnen, you deserved it, man. And that’s what you get. … This is not a case of Chael hitting his wife like Jon [Jones] did. I think they dropped the charges. This is not a case of Chael Sonnen being high and wrecking his Bentley with strippers in the car. This is not the case of Chael/domestic violence in any facet. And I think everyone should hold their judgment to get more details.

Sonnen and his wife, Brittany, have been married since 2013 and share two children. She posted a holiday photo of the family to her Twitter page in December:

pic.twitter.com/C98YwBMhvT

— Brittany Sonnen (@BrittanySonnen) December 10, 2021

Sonnen told the story of how he met his future wife in a video posted to YouTube:

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Sonnen currently works for ESPN as a UFC analyst. “Chael will not appear on ESPN as we explore the details of these serious charges,” the company said in a statement.

Sonnen is from West Linn, Oregon, and has a 31-17-1 record. The light heavyweight announced his retirement on June 14, 2019, after his final bout at Bellator 222.